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Joe Dawson
Joe Dawson is a main character in Highlander: The Series. Originally just Duncan MacLeod's Watcher, he later becomes his good friend and an invaluable ally among the Watchers. He would redefine the Watchers as a whole and usher in a new age between his fellows and the Immortals. Personal History Much is not known about Dawson's life, but it's safe to say he was born in 1950. He has a sister, but it's unknown if she's older or younger than he is. In 1967, Joe enlisted in the Marines and was sent to fight in Vietnam, serving under the command of Andrew Cord, an Immortal. In 1968, after seeing Cord shot, Joe accidentally stepped on a landmine, blowing himself up. He was saved by the resurrected Cord, who carried him on his back the six miles to the nearest field hospital. There he tried to tell the psychiatrist that it had been Cord who had saved him, but was told that Cord was dead. Later, he was told that he had his legs amputated. Not being able to cope with the loss of his legs, he tried to commit suicide by shooting himself. Before he was able to do that, he was visited by a Watcher named Ian Bancroft, who told him about immortality. Joe found a new meaning to his life and became a Watcher, owing it, in his perspective, to Andrew Cord. Bancroft would become Joe's mentor within the Watchers and a close friend. That year, he begun his Watcher career as an historian. He later became a field Watcher, observing Immortals like Roy Ferrer and Liza Grant, later being assigned to Duncan MacLeod in 1979. Season Two ]] Dawson is first introduced in the first episode of season two, "The Watchers", as a middle-aged, scholarly man working as a clerk in a bookshop owned by James Horton in Seacouver. MacLeod has been led there by a clue written by Darius on the fifth chronicle, an old book MacLeod found in Darius' rectory after his death. MacLeod does not know at first that Dawson is his Watcher, but Dawson tells him the truth after MacLeod knocks out two Hunters: "I probably know more about you than you know about yourself. (...) I could tell you the time and place you became Immortal, the name of your first love, but that's not important. What is important, is that you care about mortals, and you don't kill for pleasure." When MacLeod doubts his story, Dawson tells him with a smile, "You've been around for four hundred years. You'd feel it if I were lying to you. You can always kill me. But between you and me, I hope you don't have to." This episode also introduces Dawson's family, his brother-in-law James Horton and his niece, Horton's daughter Lynn. Dawson is stunned to learn that Darius was probably killed by Watchers. Dawson reports this to Horton and has to witness MacLeod's confrontation with Horton. MacLeod finally convinces Dawson he is telling the truth. Dawson and his niece Lynn confront Horton, who is finally injured by MacLeod. Dawson and the Watchers disappear from the bookshop. In "Turnabout", Dawson asks MacLeod to stop Immortal Quenten Barnes. MacLeod agrees because Barnes is threatening his friend Michael Moore. No one realizes that Barnes and Moore are the same person. Conversely, when MacLeod asks him to break the rules of the Watchers to get information, Dawson hesitates before accepting. In "The Zone", Dawson asks MacLeod for help again, to check if the leader of the Zone is Immortal but tells him, "Be careful around Canaan, all right? I would hate to lose another friend," to which MacLeod retorts, "Since when did we become friends?" When MacLeod tells Dawson Canaan is not immortal, but he still wants more help from Dawson to stop him, MacLeod tells him, "There are people that watch and there are people that do." In "Under Color of Authority", Dawson mentions bird-watching is a "lot less dangerous than keeping an eye on MacLeod" and adds, "You know, maybe we should both stick to watching the birds, MacLeod. That'd be much safer all around." In "Unholy Alliance", Dawson tells MacLeod two Immortals have been shot by mortals and then beheaded by an Immortal and warns him to be careful. When Dawson learns that the mysterious Immortal is Xavier St. Cloud, he decides to help MacLeod despite MacLeod's warnings. Dawson introduces MacLeod to Barton, Xavier's Watcher, ignoring that Barton is a renegade Watcher helping Xavier and James Horton to behead Immortals. After Horton shoots Charlie DeSalvo, Dawson pretends not to know that Horton is still alive. MacLeod meets Horton in the Dawson family crypt and Horton hints that Dawson knew he was alive. MacLeod follows Dawson to a wharf when Dawson meets Horton and see them together. Later, Dawson tells MacLeod, "After you fought with Horton, I had to take him to the hospital. He was dying. (...) He surprised us all. But I made sure he was through with the Watchers, MacLeod." When MacLeod angrily asks why Dawson failed to tell him this, Dawson answers, "Because I knew you'd kill him. (...) I've known the man for twenty-five years, he's my sister's husband. I couldn't just let him die. (...) I didn't even know he was here, until you said you saw him... I had to find out why he came back." When MacLeod angrily asks what Dawson would have done if he had known what Horton was really doing, Dawson cannot answer. MacLeod is hurt by this breach of trust and answers, "Next time I see you will be the last." In "Unholy Alliance Part Two", Dawson tries to regain MacLeod's trust by giving him the address of Xavier and Horton's hiding, telling him, "What's done is done, MacLeod. I can't take it back. (...) Maybe we weren't friends, but we did trust one another once, based on nothing more than a feeling. I just hope you can trust me now. (...) Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But it's the truth."5 MacLeod actually finds Xavier and Horton where Dawson told him they were. Later in Paris, Dawson finds Horton as Horton is about to flee in a boat and aims a gun at him. Despite Horton's claim that "we're family," Dawson shoots him. When MacLeod hears the sound of the shot and joins him, Dawson tells him, "We make mistakes... we clean them up." The script remarks, "A debt has been repaid." In "Counterfeit Part Two", Dawson meets MacLeod and Richie to warn them that Horton might have resurfaced. After MacLeod meets Lisa Milon, a perfect lookalike of his deceased lover Tessa sent by Horton, Richie turns to Dawson for help. Dawson agrees to investigate Lisa. As Horton tries to shoot Dawson, Richie throws himself in front of Dawson and saves his life. Dawson finds extraordinary to witness Richie's death and revival and asks him what it is like to come back. Then he tells Richie, "I owe you one." Later, Dawson prevents Horton from shooting MacLeod in the cemetery where Tessa is buried. After MacLeod kills Horton, Dawson says he will take care of the body. Season Three Joe is visited by Duncan and Amanda who he meets for the first time and informs the two that he has a new girlfriend but his happiness is short-lived, as he sees her killed later that same night. He asks Duncan to help when the police draw a blank on the killer. Duncan kills the Immortal that had her killed and recovers a relic that the Immortal stole. A month Later, Duncan comes calling at Joe's demanding that a watcher who videotaped him fighting and Immortal and killing him return the tape so that he can destroy it. But Joe and Duncan both discover that it was not a watcher that videotaped the fight but a mortal named Robert Waverly, a lawyer, who decides to blackmail Duncan into killing his wife, Barbara. When Waverly sees Duncan facing down Lyman Kurlow, Matlin's travelling companion, he offers a deal - Waverly will kill Kurlow, Duncan will kill Barbara. Duncan goes to warn Barbara, only to find her watching the tape. Terrified to see him, she tries to shoot him, but Duncan gets the tape before leaving Joe then has Barbara taken away. Days later Dawson reunits with his watcher friends over poker and meets his mentor Ian Bancroft who tells him that his charge May Ling Shen is dead beheaded by Michael Christian. Joe goes to see Duncan to tell him of May’s death and gives him one of the chronicles about her life. Later, Dawson and the watchers realize that Rita Luce (Christian’s) watcher had been feeding information about other Immortals to the young Immortal and she had sent him to Duncan. Joe cals Richie to help Duncan but Duncan defeats Michael. In mid season, Joe is arrested after drugs are found in his bar which were planted by a disgruntled employee on the orders of Kalas who was determined to destroy Duncan and his friends. Eventually Joe is cleared after Duncan discovers the truth. Joe arrives in Paris determined to help Duncan deal with Kalas and calls Duncan to warn him that he (Kalas) had been spotted in Paris. Duncan tells him about Fitz death at Kalas’ hand. Joe tells him that he was spotted at a jazz club in St Germaine, "Nosferatu", but that his Watcher has vanished. Joe later gets a call from Duncan telling him that Kalas went to a book store called Shakespear and CO. Duncan tells him that a man named Don Salzer was killed and wrote the words M.E before dying. Joe is worried and tells him that Don was aa historian working on the Methos Chronicle. Duncan is incredulous, having always believed Methos to be a myth, but Joe tells him that he's real. He sends Duncan to meet their top Methos scholar, Adam Pierson. After Kalas had been arrested for the murders of Salzer and his Watcher, Duncan tells Joe that Adam is Methos much to Joe’s shock. He asks about what will happen with Kalas, Duncan simply tells him that they will worry about that later. In the season finale, Joe meets up with Duncan again this time with Methos who tells them that Kalas escaped from prision. A new problem arises, when Joe Dawson and Methos arrive at the barge. Christine Salzer, the widow of Donald Salzer, the historian Kalas murdered, has found a database created for the Watchers and intends to give it to the newspapers. Dawson tries to stop her, even trying to shoot her, but MacLeod prevents him from becoming a murderer, taking the bullet himself. As the Immortals think that their secret will be on CNN, Kalas intercepts Christine and kills her, taking the vital disk. He uses the information to find the European head of the Watchers and kills him. He gives Duncan a choice - surrender to him or Kalas will broadcast the information on the disk. Watchers and Immortals combine to hunt Kalas down. Methos tells Duncan to fight Kalas and Amanda and Duncan, faced with the destruction of their world, finally admit their feelings for each other openly Duncan faces Kalas on the top of the Eiffel Tower and takes his enemy's head. The Quickening of such a powerful Immortal surges through the steelwork of the tower and overloads the Paris power grid, plunging the city into darkness and, in the process, blowing up Kalas' computer and destroying the disk. After celebrating Duncan's victory over Kalas and remembering Paul and Fitzcairn, Joe and Methos leave. Season Four When Duncan and Richie are attacked by the immortal Coltec, they go to Joe for help understanding why he did it. Joe tells him that Coltec was seen fighting another Immortal, Harry Kant, just before the robbery and may be under the influence of a Dark Quickening. Kant was bad to the bone and Coltec intervened to stop him robbing the store. Another Watcher thought that Kant was seen later on, but it was Coltec in Kant's jacket. Duncan asks where this was and Joe tells him it was on the east side. Duncan goes there and finds Coltec just after Jim has mugged someone. The two fight and Duncan overpowers Coltec, knocking him out. He takes Coltec to holy ground outside the city, where he tries to draw the evil out of him, but it is too powerful and he cannot be a Hayoka for his friend. Coltec escapes, swearing that the next time they will not be on holy ground. Duncan later on kills Coltec and intern is consumed by the dark quickening. By the time Joe gets back to the bar, Duncan is well on his way to being drunk. He tries to chat up a woman sitting at the bar, but when he comes on with absolutely no subtlety, she tries to get away from him, only he won't let her. When she slaps him, he knocks her to the floor and decks Joe when he interferes. Before a full scale mêlee can ensue, Joe intervenes and lets Duncan walk out. Joe follows Duncan back to the Dojo and saves Richie from being beheaded by Duncan by shooting him dead. When Duncan revives, he finds himself tied to the bars on the dojo wall. Dawson has his sword and tries to reach whatever is left of MacLeod inside, telling him of his strength, his goodness, but is mocked by the Dark Highlander. Joe threatens to take Duncan's head himself, but cannot and, trusting to instinct, lets Duncan loose. MacLeod tries to attack Dawson, but finds that he can't. Instead, he lurches out of the dojo into the night. Later, he packs his bags and signs on board a freighter sailing out of Seacouver, destination unknown. Joe then calls Methos for help in helping Duncan After Duncan is freed of the influence of the Dark Quickening, Joe is removed as Duncan's watcher and replaced by Jack Shapiro. Months later, Joe recives a call from Jack who tells him that Duncan has been beheaded. Heartbroken, Joe heads for Paris. Joe arrives in a taxi, still clearly shaken up. He gets out a tape recorder and starts making his "terminal report on the immortal Duncan MacLeod." Just as he's saying the name, we see Duncan MacLeod jogging up towards him. He sees Joe, looks puzzled, and calls to him. Joe turns and sees him, and starts towards him, muttering that "someone's gonna catch hell for this," but before they get anywhere near one another a car pulls up and men jump out and grab Joe. Duncan gives chase, even managing to jump on the roof of the car, but they shake him and drive away with Joe. Blindfolded, Joe is led by his captors into a an abandoned toy factory where he is led somewhere and his abductors refuse to aknowledge his questions. Later, Joe realizes that he has been abducted by his fellow watchers led by his friend Jack. The watchers have charged Joe with betraying his oath, consorting with an immortal and falsifying chronicles. Joe doesn't believe it, but then Jack tells him that in the last three years, the Watchers have lost 80 agents. In the 50 years before that, they lost only 2. And since it was just 3 years since Joe had his first talk with Duncan... Joe says fine, if they want him out for talking, he's out, and "you can keep the gold watch." But Charlie(a watcher) says it's gone far beyond that, that "an example must be made. If we decide that you are guilty, the penalty is death." Meanwhile Duncan with the help of Methos manage to locate where Joe is being held and try to rescue him but Duncan is caught. The two are then held to face the regional watcher Coordinators from South Africa, Asia, South America, Australia, and Europe. THe trail begins as Joe and Duncan's past indiscretions are revealed. Methos even tries to help out. The issue of Kalas comes up in the trial to which Joe replies. if he and Duncan hadn't worked together, Kalas would have told the world. But Jack says Joe can't "chicken and egg this thing," talking about what might have happened. He says that the only thing that's clear is that Joe "trashed his oath." Duncan responds by saying that he's spent his whole life fighting other immortals, "men who hold life cheap. I live--no, I survive, because I value life." The trial abruptly ends when jack is informed that his son(who was Joe's replacement as Duncan's Watcher) has been killed. As the two are led away, Duncan manages to overpower the gaurds and tries to take Joe with him. Joe refuses wanting to take responsability for his actions. The next morning, Joe is led to a courtyard to be excecuted but then the watchers present at the excecution are killed. Duncan returns to find Joe unconcious. Duncan plans to have Joe leave the country. With the help of Methos, Joe hides in a bookstore while he recovers from his gunshot wound. Duncan realizes that the watchers are being killed by an Immortal named Jacob Galeti who wants revenge against them for the death of his Immortal wife Irena not realizing that it was the hunters who attacked him and trust to look for him. When Joe is told about Jacob, He wants him to pay for what he did. Later he and Methos head for the morturary where the watchers are and manages to talk with Jack telling him about Jacob and arranges to have him watched and to bring him in to explain what happened and why he is doing this. Joe arrive at Jacob's place and Joe lets Jacob sneak up on him, and tells him that the Watchers have Duncan prisoner, and they're going to kill him. He says that Jacob is Duncan's only chance of proving that he isn't the killer. Jacob agrees to go with him to save Duncan, and as they leave together another Watcher approaches and shoots Jacob. Joe then realizes that Jack is becoming more like Horton. Jack then kills Jacob. This puts a strain between Duncan and Joe again. Joe tries to convince Jack to stop the killings and to put aside his grief but Duncan arrives threatening to kill Jack. Duncan is able to ensure that Jack stops his vendetta. Joe later on meets Duncan at his barge to try and make peace but Duncan is not intrested in what he has to say. Joe then returns to Seacouver. Season Five Joe visits Duncan to tell him about Richie barely acknowledging the Watcher. When he finally does, it's in words that amount to a formal, polite "get out". Joe persists, wanting to talk to Duncan about Richie. That gets Duncan's attention, but he still won't open up to Joe. Frustrated, Joe tells Duncan how Richie came to him after the events in[http://www.pedmonds.f9.co.uk/highlander/hl_zs413.html "Something Wicked"], confused and hurt. Now, Richie has been picking fights and taking heads. Joe wants Duncan to intervene, but he tells Joe it's none of his business. Angry, Joe storms out, telling Duncan where Richie is staying. Despite what he says to Dawson, Duncan goes to see Richie. Later Joe tells Duncan that Richie is in even bigger danger after he beheaded Carter Wellen and is now being hunted by Haresh Clay. Joe says he’s just trying to help a friend. But Duncan say’s Richie is not his friend and reminds him about what he is and Joe leaves teling Duncan that they are through. Richie later arrives at Joe’s asking him for money to buy a new sword. Joe refuses. Joe later tells Duncan that Richie is hunting Clay determined to face his demons and tells him where Clay is. In the end, Joe decides to stay with the watchers and hopes to rekindle his friendship with Duncan later on. In the episode Glory Days, Joe meets an old girlfriend of his Betsy Fields, his high school sweetheart, who walks into the bar. Despite MacLeod's prompting, Joe is strangely reluctant to rekindle old flames and, to finally badger him into taking Betsy to dinner. Joe faces up to his fear of telling Betsy about being crippled and shares one night of romance with her before she returns to her husband and family, leaving Joe to remember how good those Glory Days were. Days later Joe recruits Reverend Bell into the watchers. Later a mysterious Immortal arrives in Seacouver claiming to be Methos who is preaching peace to the Immortals and convinces them to reject the game. This mysterious Immortal and his gospel of peace have cost several of his converts their heads and Duncan doesn't want Richie at risk. In the 100th episode, Duncan and Cassandra go to Methos for help in locating Methos and the other Horseman Silas and Caspian. Joe goes through the Watchers' records and finds details of Evan Casparri, detained in a Romanian asylum for the criminally insane. Cassandra recognizes Caspian and Duncan and her leave for Romania. Two months later, Joe arrives in Paris with a new music protégée Mike from London but Mike dies from an overdose due to Byron who Macleod kills in revenge.in the season finale, Joe has James Horton’s body flown to Chicago. At the same time, Duncan has visions of seeing dead people from his past mainly Horton. Richie seeks the help of Joe and Methos, who have their doubts about the existence of a Zoroastrian demon in 20th century Paris. As Joe and Methos talk with Duncan at the barge, Richie sees Joe as a prisoner of Horton and follows the illusion to an abandoned racecourse. He telephones Duncan to let him know, but rings off before MacLeod can tell him he is being deceived.. Joe and Methos arrive at the racetrack only to find MacLeod kneeling over Richie’s decapitated body and, when Methos refuses to kill Duncan, the Highlander takes Richie's glove and walks away, leaving behind his friends and his sword, and vanishes into the night. Joe is so upset by this that he cries in Methos’s arms. Afterwards Joe has Richie buried. Season Six A year has passed since Richie’s death and Joe is considering moving on with his work. But he receives a surprise when Duncan returns to Paris after spending sometime in a monastery in Malaysia. Joe is less than pleased to see him especially when he brings up the Ahriman story. He eventually gathers information about possible folklore about Ahriman and gives the information to Duncan. He finally believes him when he is confronted by the evil entity in the form of Horton in his bedroom. Arihman tries to trick him into denouncing Duncan and in exchange he would give him back his legs. He refuses. Upset by almost giving in to him, he tells Duncan about what happended who gives him comfort. He then gives Duncan a Tibetan singing bowl which would help him in defeating Ahriman. Duncan soon defeats Ahriman and is ready to move on with his life, but before leaving, Joe offers Duncan his katana sword. Hesitant, Duncan takes it. Final Years Joe was instrumental in getting The Sanctuary shut down, following the deaths of many Immortals that had been secluded there, when Jacob Kell invaded the place and killed them, except for Connor MacLeod, whom he wanted to live until the end of the Game. When Matthew Hale was going to shoot Duncan MacLeod in order to drag him back to a new Sanctuary, Joe stepped in and tried to stop him, only to kill him in self-defense. Afterwards, he made sure the Sanctuary was finished. In later years, he has assisted Duncan whenever he could. While in Paris in 2008, he helps him get info about Pieter Gatlin, when the latter makes his return after 30 years known to Duncan. In 2009, he has assisted both Duncan and the newly resurrected Connor MacLeod to take down the Sons of the Kurgan cult, and the newly resurrected Kurgan himself. Afterwards, Joe begrudgingly retires from the Watchers, just shy of 40 years of service. Dawson tells his long-time friend and former Watcher Methos that a new, 28-year-old Watcher has been assigned to Duncan MacLeod. His replacement is a Princeton University graduate and member of Phi Beta Kappa and is not physically handicapped as he is. Death In 2012, he assisted Duncan to help find The Source of Immortality, but got killed in the process by the powerful Guardian. Duncan buries him outside the monastery of The Abbott, along with the remains of his sword, which The Guardian had used to kill Joe. List of Appearances Highlander: The Series *The Watchers *Turnabout *The Zone *Epitaph for Tommy *Under Colour of Authority *Unholy Alliance: Part 1 *Unholy Alliance: Part 2 *The Vampire *Counterfeit: Part 2 *Line of Fire *The Cross of St. Antoine *The Lamb *Shadows *Blackmail *They Also Serve *Blind Faith *Song of the Executioner *Methos *Take Back the Night *Finale: Part 1 *Finale: Part 2 *Homeland *Leader of the Pack *Brothers in Arms *The Colonel *Timeless *Something Wicked *Deliverance *Judgment Day *One Minute to Midnight *The End of Innocence *Glory Days *Haunted *Little Tin God *The Messenger *The Valkyrie *Comes a Horseman *Revelation 6:8 *The Modern Prometheus *Archangel *Avatar *Armageddon *Indiscretions *To Be *Not to Be Highlander: The Raven *A Matter Of Time *The French Connection Movies *Highlander: Endgame *Highlander: The Source General trivia Like his character, Byrnes served one tour of duty with the American military in Vietnam. Joe Dawson (the character ultimately played by Jim Byrnes) was originally going to be named Ian Dawson, and was conceived to be a bookish historian with less world experience than Joe. Actors considered for the role included Michael York and David McCallum Category:Watchers Category:Males